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Old 09-05-2019, 02:40 PM   #81
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Originally Posted by Sleddgracer View Post
maybe when I age out a bit more I'll pay more attention to the journey than the destination, but at 80 years old, when I'm on the road I have a destination, a purpose, and a deadline in mind - I'm very aware of driving within my reaction times, and seldom travel much over the speed limit, but I want my bus to climb hills faster than a Volkswagen van and I want to at least maintain the speed limit without stressing the motor - my bus will be used for getting from here to there, rather than holidaying along the way ( who would want to picnic in -30 weather with a blowing wind anyway? - lol )

My point exactly! Im trying to find a set off somewhere around 3.25 gears and Id like a Dfuser T444E tuner but I cant find either of them...

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Old 09-05-2019, 04:38 PM   #82
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What axle do you have? I have 3.54 gears on my red bus and I’m looking to get 4.10s or 4.30s
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Old 09-05-2019, 05:15 PM   #83
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
what axle do you have? I have 3.54 gears on my red bus and i’m looking to get 4.10s or 4.30s
f155s 4.11
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Old 09-05-2019, 06:53 PM   #84
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Originally Posted by Necro View Post
My point exactly! Im trying to find a set off somewhere around 3.25 gears and Id like a Dfuser T444E tuner but I cant find either of them...
3.25 is just too high for a bus for ANY purpose. My 3.42's are pretty darn high to the point I don't think I want to go with 11R's when I replace the 10R's that it currently has. And mines a 5 window shorty.
3.70-4.11 is the sweet spot for highway gearing on most school buses, IMO.
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Old 09-05-2019, 06:54 PM   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sleddgracer View Post
but I want my bus to climb hills faster than a Volkswagen van and I want to at least maintain the speed limit without stressing the motor -
Sounds like you need to be looking at an 8.3 Cummins and MD-3060.
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Old 09-05-2019, 06:58 PM   #86
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Sounds like you need to be looking at an 8.3 Cummins and MD-3060.
My lil bus will climb way faster than any VW I've owned.
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Old 09-06-2019, 01:18 AM   #87
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In the past week and a half, I've driven from Massachusetts -> Iowa, and back. (Not in a bus or camper, but in our F250, with my little utility trailer in the back.)

I can say that over the course of the trip, speeds varied anywhere from 65 - almost 80 as a cruising speed. Since I now own a large(ish) rig, I was paying attention to to how fast we were going. While there were times we went faster, I don't think I'd have had any problems doing 65 the whole way, and I don't think I would have been in anyone's way in traffic either.

It's just my observation - I'd still like a rig that /could/ do 70, but I don't see the need to do it.

(If I was doing the same run in my motorhome, not having to stop for a motel or bathroom breaks would easily trim the time of the trip down, even at 65mph.

I'm not saying that other areas of the country are all like this, just that I made an attempt to make a dedicated observation about the way I actually drove vs. the way I thought I drove. (Some of the faster sections were also completely NOT where I expected them to be. . . .)
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Old 09-06-2019, 04:46 PM   #88
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I'll upload the pics later but Shaun and I were behind a prison transport bus on the way back from Jacksonville on 95 today. Must have been coming from Starke.
The bus was a 40' FE BBAA. It was cruising at a steady 80 and was hitting nearly 90 for sustained periods. At 85 mph in Shauns truck the bus was pulling away from us easily.
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Old 09-06-2019, 04:48 PM   #89
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Faster. Tires

Perhaps another more important question might be, not how fast you can go, BUT how fast can you stop and how far are you going to travel before you accomplish that? You might be able to run 75 all day long and be very comfortable. So comfortable that you don't notice the guy in front of you slammed his brakes for a deer, and quite unexpectedly you are in an uncontrollable, going sideways, full blown ****-your-Post Toasties-skid, with nowhere to go. Now, about that 75 miles per hour, is it really worth it?The average life time could last many years, death only takes a few seconds, whether it's yours or someone elses. Never drive faster than your angels can fly.
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:10 PM   #90
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If someone in front of you slams on their brakes its probably RIP for them, unless they're in a rock truck or something.
The 90mph prison bus was tailgating and weaving like they could go even faster. It was crazy to behold!
So far we've seen Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Florida with stock as-delivered buses that go 80+.
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:21 PM   #91
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Let's get real there are places the traffic is too heavy to go fast, and there are plenty of miles of highway that traffic is light and have high speed limits, and doing 75 or 80 is legal and safe as long as your equipment is in good order.
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Old 09-06-2019, 05:42 PM   #92
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my red bus has 3.54 gears T-444E, and little 225/70R19.5 tires.. even befire I swapped to an OD trans it was a 70 MPH bus with an AT545.. with OD my 6th gear is unusable.. in fact I have it programmed only to operate at the lightest engine load.. above 30% engine load it downshifts to 5.. otherwise I watch my EGT run up...



with full size tires I couldnt imagine anything numerically lower than a 4.10..



yes it is VERY possible to over-gear..



Like I mentioned before you dont want your engine RPM and your input shaft RPMs to be much different.. thats where you REALLY make heat with AT545s.. when you let your engine run up against the stall speed...



you break them... I know it.. Ive done it... ive lived it...



so YES its VERY possible to over-gear.. in fact once I find an axle I can gear-down I will be doing it.. to 4.10 or 4.30.. my 3.54 is way too tall
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:02 PM   #93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronnie View Post
Let's get real there are places the traffic is too heavy to go fast, and there are plenty of miles of highway that traffic is light and have high speed limits, and doing 75 or 80 is legal and safe as long as your equipment is in good order.

The arguement is all relative. I don't live my life on "what if's" A 747 could fall on your bus, so you should never get in a bus.
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Old 09-06-2019, 06:16 PM   #94
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:thanx:
The arguement is all relative. I don't live my life on "what if's" a 747 could fall on your bus, so you should never get in a bus.
rofl!!! Yes!
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Old 09-12-2019, 09:31 AM   #95
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Necro View Post
Im picking up the bus on Tuesday, VIN is 1HVBBABM0VH519688 if anyone knows how to look up the tranny. Im looking at preferably 2k RPM at 75MPH.
Im planning on getting this too.
International CE powered by Navistar 7.3L T444E Common Rail - Diesel MAGNUM EVO-Tech Heavy Duty Performance Chip.

I don't want to have to be bouncing off the rev limiter for 5 hours.
The T444E never came in common rail. The injection is a HEUI system.
No high pressure fuel pump other than the lift pump, it uses a HPOP (high pressure oil pump) to drive the injectors.

Man I'd love to see 2k @ 75mph, let me know if you ever get close.
I'd beware some place claiming the 7.3 is a common rail, doesn't sound like they have a clue.
__________________
If you would like to check out my website that has all sort of information especially for the T444E/7.3PSD engines check out www.PatrickTheSalvageGuy.com I've got helpful downloads and articles as well as a link to my YT for other how to videos mainly on the F series trucks.
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Old 09-12-2019, 09:42 AM   #96
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Man I'd love to see 2k @ 75mph, let me know if you ever get close.
I'd beware some place claiming the 7.3 is a common rail, doesn't sound like they have a clue.

does this count?


Click image for larger version

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Old 09-12-2019, 09:44 AM   #97
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does this count?


Attachment 37456
WHERE DID YOU GET THIS! I WANT NOW!!! Please post a how to for this if you can!
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Old 09-12-2019, 10:16 AM   #98
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Fuel Mileage

cadillackid, what kind of fuel mileage do you get by running the low RPM's

What rear end ratio and transmission are you running as well?
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Old 09-12-2019, 10:43 AM   #99
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That is one cool instrument cluster.
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Old 09-12-2019, 12:36 PM   #100
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my rear end gears are 3.54 with 225/70R19.5 tires.. its actually too low RPM.. although better since I turned up the power on the 444E but I really should 4.10 gears because the RPM is too low... on average I get 11-14 if I keep it at 65...



I swapped in an allison 6 speed transmission replacing the AT545 2 years ago when the AT545 broke..



-Christopher
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